Prices for Thoroughbred racing stock continued to decline at the 2010 Barretts March Sale of 2-year-olds in training in Pomona, Calif., on Monday, with the average and median prices down sharply.
Sixty-nine 2-year-olds went through the ring at an average price of $90,652 during the one-day sale, down 26.4 percent compared with last year's average of $123,245, according to figures provided by Barretts. The average last year was down 30 percent compared to the 2008 sale.
OPELOUSAS, La. - A bay son of Holy Bull named Holy Shazaam brought $70,000 as the sale-topper in Sunday's John Franks Memorial 2-year-olds in training sale held at Evangeline Downs. Cathy Deville, acting agent for Crazy C Ranch, made the top bid.
The colt, a registered Kentucky-bred, is out of the multiple-producing Green Dancer mare Fletch. He is Breeders' Cup nominated and, as are all of this year's sales graduates, eligible for a division of the $100,000 John Franks Memorial Sales Stakes to be held at Evangeline in late July.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - A slew of juveniles put up blazing fast times Friday at the Barretts March select sale under-tack preview in Pomona, Calif.
Four horses worked an eighth of a mile in 9.80 seconds, and three others went a quarter-mile in 20.80 seconds.
The four fastest workers over an eighth were Hip No. 29, a Stormin Fever-Rainbow's End colt; Hip No. 56, a Holy Bull-Table the Motion filly; Hip No. 70, a D'Wildcat-Wildly Celestial colt; and Hip No. 119, an A. P. Warrior-Girl Gone Crazy colt. Twenty other 2-year-olds posted a time of 10 seconds for the distance.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Halo's Image, a leading Florida sire twice, died on Friday, Bridlewood Farm announced Sunday.
The farm reported that the 19-year-old Halo stallion died after having what appeared to be a heart attack while covering a mare.
Halo's Image, who stood at Bridlewood in Ocala, Fla., for $4,000 this season, is the sire of Grade 1 winner Southern Image; graded winners How's Your Halo and Halo Steven; multiple graded-placed Halo Najib; and multiple stakes winner Sir Oscar. From 10 racing-age crops to date, he has sired earners of more than $20.5 million.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Two juveniles worked an eighth-mile in 10 seconds Saturday, topping the work tab at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's weekend under-tack show in Ocala, Fla.
The two under-tack sessions on Saturday and Sunday previewed the company's March select 2-year-old sale, which takes place Tuesday and Wednesday.
The two fastest eighth-mile workers were Hip No. 282, the Leprechaun Racing agency's Badge of Silver-Silver Bride filly, and Hip No. 306, a Henny Hughes-Tacticmove colt consigned by James Layden, agent.
Grazen will have a quiet and inexpensive first season at stud this winter and spring at Tommy Town Thoroughbreds in Santa Ynez, Calif.
A 4-year-old colt, his promising racing career was cut short by a tendon injury suffered while leading in deep stretch of the California Cup Classic at Santa Anita last October. The injury forced Grazen's retirement but has not affected his ability to breed mares.
"He's enjoying his new occupation," owner-breeder Nick Alexander said Thursday.
New Jersey breeders say they are gambling that the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority's new plan to cut race dates and fund a gala 50-day, $50 million summer meet at Monmouth Park eventually will pay off by growing the breeding industry.
The one-year experiment also cuts the total number of races by about 40 percent, and likely won't offer much short-term incentive for breeders. But if the experiment is successful and becomes permanent, breeders say, it could help raise New Jersey-bred quality and crop size.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company will host the season's largest boutique juvenile sale Tuesday and Wednesday in Ocala, Fla., giving sellers and sales officials their first broad look at the select 2-year-old market.
OBS sales director Tom Ventura hopes that the 340-horse March catalog will help reverse declines the company saw at its season-opening February select sale. Scratches and buybacks winnowed February's 160-horse catalog down to just 66 sales, and average and median fell 8 percent and 27 percent, respectively.
Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky., has named Guinness McFadden its director of sales for its auction consignments. McFadden, a six-year employee at Three Chimneys, replaces Elizabeth Voss, who is moving to Maryland but will remain a consultant to Three Chimneys Sales.
The farm also has named Jessica Bruch its new sales assistant.
